Serious Jialat! Only 300 out of 2400 new jobs in Q1 went to Sinkies!

SINGAPORE: For most young professionals, the chance to live and work in a foreign country is as exciting as it is unnerving. That’s precisely where one 23-year-old finds himself as he equips himself to transfer to Singapore for a two-year contract, prepared with a newly issued job offer and a monthly remuneration of S$6,800.

With a Reddit post, he put his inquiries to the international online community: Is this a decent compensation for someone just starting? Can I afford rent at S$2,500/month? And significantly, how relaxed and sustainable will my lifestyle be?
Our young doctors and dentists earn more than $5,000 per month as fresh graduates, but the males will be 24 or 25 by then owing to the 2 years they lost in NS. Locals don't need to factor in rent, but most probably give a portion of their monthly pay to their parents.
 

More students in Singapore juggle studying and working to support their families​

Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
ST20250703_202508000589 Azmi Athni dlamillie//Amillie Chan, 21, a bartender, at Nanyang Polytechnic, on July 3, 2025. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI

Ms Amillie Chan worked up to five hours a day on weekdays and 12 hours a day on weekends – all while studying full-time.

ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI


Follow topic:​

Polytechnics

Published Jul 07, 2025, 05:00 AM
Updated Jul 07, 2025, 11:45 AM

SINGAPORE – Throughout her three years in polytechnic, 21-year-old Amillie Chan spent every evening after class serving customers and preparing food at Mexican-themed fast food chain Guzman y Gomez.

Miss Chan, who graduated in May from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) with a diploma in food and beverage business, worked up to five hours a day on weekdays and 12 hours a day on weekends – all while studying full-time.

While there is no official data on the number of students who have to study and work to support their families, social service agency Allkin Singapore said that it has seen a more than threefold increase in the number of post-secondary students aged 17 and above who have to work while studying, from five in 2024 to 17 in 2025.
 
Back
Top